The point I am making is not to criticise people for emailing Senators or to discourage them-----

I must be allowed-----

If a point of information or order is made against me, I must be allowed to respond to it.

I am sorry, a Chathaoirligh, but they have also suggested that I am criticising people who send emails to Members of the Oireachtas. I must be allowed to address that point because it is not what I said.

I am not criticising people for doing that.

I will finish on this point. I am saying that there has been a visible campaign of misinformation in respect of what is in the Bill.

I am going to finish the point I am making, which the Cathaoirleach has deemed to be relevant.

The point I was making is that there are issues in this regard precisely because there is a significant misunderstanding abroad, among people in our society, that this Bill does something that it does not do. I am saying that this misunderstanding is a result of information that has been put out by people which is incorrect.

That misinformation is a significant factor and a major part of the hurt and anxiety that has been caused in the first instance. I am calling it out because I think it is wrong, just as other Senators have criticised other aspects of the issue we are discussing, as they are entitled to do. There is a major problem of misinformation and we need to identify it. If we say nothing about it, it will happen again and we will allow-----

I will finish if people stop interrupting me. The point I am making is that if we do not call it out, it will happen again and again. It is important to stand up when one recognises that something is happening that is wrong. The point I raised is relevant to the amendments we are discussing. I welcome what the Minister said in terms of acknowledging that things can and should be done better. I welcome what he said about re-examining the availability of the records as they will be under the remit of his Department.

I did not.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I agree with what has been said about this Bill. It is unfortunate but it is necessary. The comments of other Senators in this regard are well made. We need to equip the Garda with the powers it requires to enforce the regulations. That is for the benefit of everyone - all members of society but, most particularly, those who are vulnerable to Covid-19 and those who are at risk. The hope, in passing this legislation, is that those powers will never be necessary. I welcome what the …

I regret to say that I agree with Senator McDowell. Amendment No. 20, in my name, has been mentioned. I emailed my amendments to the Bills Office on Wednesday night because they had to be in before midday yesterday. This means it was possible for the Minister to bring this amendment before the Dáil. I do not understand why the definition is not in section 1. I do not understand why the definition in section 3 is so convoluted and complicated given that there is a perfectly functional, much simpler and tried-and-tes…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, line 27, to delete "or" and substitute "and". Both of these amendments are related to the same issue. Section 3 amends section 31 of the Health Act 1947 by inserting a new subsection 6C, which provides for a power for the Minister to make regulations relating to penal provisions, which is what we have been speaking about. It then prescribes a number of matters the Minister should take into account when applying or drafting those regulations or regulations relating to a fixed payme…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus gabhaim buíochas leis as an am a thabhairt dom ar an ábhar seo. I raise the issue of demolitions in the West Bank, which have been ongoing for years, by Israeli authorities of Palestinian facilities such as homes and businesses. These matters have continued unabated. It is estimated that in 2019, some 624 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished. That is the number of structures but, of course, the number of people displaced by that is very significant. It is probably betw…

I am glad to hear the terms the Minister of State used in his response. I know he and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, have a strong record of calling out this kind of behaviour. I am also particularly glad to hear him use the word "recompense" because, as I said, while there is a massive humanitarian issue here, there is also a simple breach of international law. There is also the fact that we are giving money to Palestine and it is being essentially destroyed or wasted by Israel. I hope the Minister of State can als…

I want to raise the rigidity in the system that allows citizens to change their names. Specifically, I am given to understand that citizens under the age of 18 have no right whatsoever to change their names. I can see why this would not be a problem normally, but the circumstances of this rigidity specifically affect a number of women who are estranged from their husbands and the fathers of their children, and who now have children who have a different name from them. If the children have not taken any part of thei…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following: "notes that: - Shannon Group, a commercial semi-state body, is a driver of economic growth in the Midwest; - Shannon Group, which operates in both the aviation and tourism sectors, has been particularly severely impacted by Covid-19; - the aviation and tourism sectors are major contributors to Ireland’s economy; - successive Government policies have recognised and supported this contribution and pointed to Ireland…

I have listened to the speeches of my two Seanad colleagues and the Minister of State. I am concerned by the suggestion that the parties who are seeking to amend the motion do not care about employees in Shannon Group, balanced regional development and sustaining our regional airports. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The Minister of State went through this in some detail in her references, not least the references to the provisions in the budget yesterday that have put in place very substantial …

I raise the democratic crisis in Belarus, of which the Minister of State will be aware. I do so in the full knowledge that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, has a very deep personal connection with Belarus and met Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Brussels on 21 September. She is the opposition leader in Belarus who has been displaced by the recent presidential election and has had to flee the country, in essence. The Minister described her as an extraordinary and brave woman. The Minister of State will be …